Wenyavuk (Realm)
History Chieftain Karyan an Nyovu was the the first Storyteller to ever lead the Na'nuk. When his eldest daughter Elina came of age, she underwent the ancient rite of englightenment as is customary. She emerged with the knowledge that her husband and next chieftain would be an explorer. The word spread quickly, and after much contest within the four tribes, each of them had chosen a champion. Näiyop of the Second Tear was once such champion and - together with the other three - recieved the her quest. They were to venture far beyond into the Plains of Frost and bring home any item they deemed worthy and unknown to the Na'nuk. Whoever returned the item the chieftain deemed most notable within 12 moons would become her husband and the next chieftain after Karyans death. The four young men were given the warmest furs, the sharpest spears and as much rations by their tribes as they could carry, and headed into the white. Of the four, only Näiyop returned after 10 moons. The items he brought were acorns, something which no Na'nuk had ever seen. Along with it, he brought stories of a land far beyond the plains to the south, of a land where valleys harbor the lush green of trees even far from any river. The wedding preparations began the next day and the celebrations lasted for a whole moon. The acorns were placed in the ground in front of the chiftains palace. By the time Karyan had died 9 years later, the acorns had sprouted and grown into bushes, straight and not stunted at all. This was considered a good omen for the reign of Näiyop the Explorer. Näiyop was a quiet, reflective and curious man. Ever since he discovered the green to the south he longed to return - but he knew that his place is with his people... for now at least. He knew that it was his fate to discover habitable land beyond the plains, but he was deeply unsure about the reasons. He decided to move forward carefully, but move forward all the same. He hoped that by the time his eldest son Hiykan came of age and underwent the Trial of Enlightenment, the path of the Na'nuk should become clear. In 388, Näiyop undertook an expedition to attempt to reach the North Pole. The expedition failed to attract the international support he had hoped for, but he became determined to reach the pole, and invested all his tribe's resources into ice boats to attempt to reach it. In around 390 he and most of the Na'nuk set off on another expedition from which they apparently did not intend to return. When it was learned that the Na'nuk elders had departed and left the people leaderless, Sympolemou sent troops in to secure the region, to a mixed reception. Liam Serendel laid claim to the region by right of his wife Bekya, Näiyop's daughter and the only remaining member of the Na'nuk leaders' family. Wenyavuk became a vassal of the Kingdom of Serendel. Following Liam's death, the Rite of Enlightenment was undertaken by Pawondo Tayanya of the Heartwaste, and the former realm was incorporated into the Faedas Freehold. Rules of Succession When the eldest child of the chieftain came of age, he or she underwent the Rite of Enlightenment, in which the trial was revealed that the new chieftain would have to pass. Any recognized tribe of the Na'Nuk could select a champion to face the trial. The victor was selected as spouse of the eldest child and became chieftain after the current chieftain passed on or resigned. In the event that a chieftain died before his eldest child was married, his spouse underwent a second Trial of Enlightenment to determine the new chieftain (and eldest child's spouse) by trial. Such a trial never took longer than the time from one winter to the next and the tribes are led by the deceased chieftains spouse during this period. There was a long list of rules that are passed down from generation to generation to handle cases where a chieftain had no children, or they died prematurely. They were not written down and in the rare cases when they had to be used, long debates were held between the tribes. In these cases, the solution varied, but it always boiled down to a trial where a champion from every tribe competed in a task that seemed most fitting to the challenges of the years to come. Category:Realms Category:Defunct Realms Category:Lesser Vassals